


A near-death experience (kind of)

by Kingvenus



Category: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield - Fandom, Emmerdale, vanity - Fandom
Genre: Domestic, F/F, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22129228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingvenus/pseuds/Kingvenus
Summary: Based on the dialogue prompt - “ I love you” “It took them killing me for you to say that?”, Basically just domestic fluff, set around the current time period in the show (Jan 2020).
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Kudos: 50





	A near-death experience (kind of)

“Right boys, we’re gonna have to keep it zipped if we really want to give her a fright, Okay?”. Vanessa was met with two small smirking faces, both looking slightly puzzled as to why she was taking this little prank so seriously, all three of them were crouched in front of the couch at Jacob’s fold, waiting for Charity to return from putting the bins out. It had started as a way to cheer up the kids on their grumpier days, the teasing, the little tricks they played on each other to get a giggle out of post-nap stroppy Johnny or to draw Sarah’s attention away from her phone. Humour and teasing had always been a part of their relationship, Vanessa thinks back to those early days when Charity would throw an innuendo and a wink over the bar to get a flustered chuckle out of her; half the time the jokes were cringy as anything but Vanessa was so smitten that she probably would have laughed if Charity had recited the pub’s tax returns. Now, the humour had extended to the kids, and between the crises and dramas, the house had become a parlour of tricks and puns, Vanessa loved it, it was the kind of bubbling camaraderie she had longed for as an only child, although she didn’t love the search for her keys of a morning when either Noah or Charity had decided to put them up on top of the fridge where she couldn’t reach. This was the boys’ newest trick after Tracy had taught them the art of surprise, they were constantly jumping out from behind the furniture to frighten anyone who was nearby and unsuspecting, they were never quite successful though, their little shoulders almost always poking out from the object they were trying to disguise themselves behind. However, this time, Vanessa was in the mood to get Charity good and so, decided to give the boys a helping hand when she saw them start searching for hiding spaces the minute Charity stepped out the door. She was sure she heard Charity’s footsteps approaching the door and so she turned to the boys with her finger over her lips and a solemn look in her eyes, they waited a few moments and sure enough, Charity clambered through the door, shutting it firmly against the whistling wind behind her, “Argh tell you what babe, I’ve no idea how Vic’s got the sprog out and about, it’s absolutely brass monkeys and I was only out for a second!” Charity shook her head in a dramatic shiver as she kicked off her boots by the door. When she heard no reply, she raised her head, peering over to where she’d left Vanessa drying the dishes, “Ness?” she called out, craning her neck to try and see into the kitchen from where she stood. Moses’ eyes shone with mischief and excitement as he tried to hold in his laughter and keep quiet, Vanessa shot him a warning glance although her lips twitched into a smile at how much he looked like his mum. Charity stepped further into the room “Moz? Johnny?” she called up the stairs after noticing they were no longer downstairs yet there was still an explosion of dinosaur figures across the dinner table. Charity took a couple of steps back from the staircase her back still turned to the couch, Vanessa tapped both boys and silently mouthed to them “one” - Johnny drew up from his knees into a crouch, ready to spring up, “two” - Moses clamped his hand over his mouth to keep his squeal in “THREE!” all three of them jumped up from behind the couch cushions just as Charity turned around to sort out the mess on the table, “SHHHI--ugar” Charity exclaimed, jumping backwards and bumping into the table behind her. The look of fear quickly turned into a reproachful scowl as she noticed the three figures in front of her shaking with laughter after almost sending her into an early grave “Christ alive!” Charity scolded bringing a hand to her chest, “what are you trying to do to me?” Charity tutted reaching over the couch and tickling an already hysterical Moses and Johnny, the two boys shrieked with laughter, Charity’s stern voice only making the situation funnier. Vanessa stood, rounding the couch to stand by Charity’s side smiling at the boy’s in front of her, Charity turned to her with an eyebrow raised “Oi, I don’t know what you’re grinning at, you’re worse than them two put together”, “Oh yeah? Like you’ve ever complained” Vanessa smirked in response, sauntering off to finish the dishes before a stunned Charity had a chance to respond.

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Later on, they were around the table having just finished their tea, Moses was explaining why the latest episode of Paw patrol was “very fantastic” to a semi-bored looking Noah, while Sarah was showing Johnny how to plait after he had told her she has “lovely hair just like anna in Frozen”. Vanessa stood to clear the plates, smiling at the scene in front of her, it was lovely to see the older ones being so kind to the boys although they both clearly had other things going on at the moment. Charity was stood in the Kitchen putting the leftover spag bol into lunch boxes for Vanessa to take to work the next day - she had never really questioned why Vanessa always cooked such big portions, there were six of them after all, but when she’d found out that it was because she loved having leftovers at lunchtime she had smiled to herself because it was exactly the sort of Mumsnet hack that Vanessa would love. Feeling an ache in the base of her spine, she winced as she reached up to the shelf where the lunchboxes were kept, pouting and rubbing her back as she brought the tupperware down, Vanessa set down the dishes and came to join Charity, “are you okay?” she asked concerned, eyes scanning down Charity’s body, “What’s with the face? you look like Moses after he’s been told its bedtime” Vanessa stated. “My back’s flaming killing me” complained Charity, rubbing her hand around her lumbar for good measure. “Oh yeah?” Vanessa asked looking at her with the same face she gives Johnny after he’s tumbled off the roundabout in the playground, “Do you remember hurting it or anything?” Vanessa questions, moving beside Charity and bringing an arm around her waist to rub her side comfortingly and resting her head against her shoulder. Just as Charity’s about to reply they hear a shout from the table “Wow Johnny, That’s well good!” Noah looks impressed, nodding his head at the plait in Sarah’s hair that Johnny is proudly showing off. Vanessa looks up at Charity smiling, “they’re good kids aren’t they” she states smiling softly, “I mean yeah when they’re not scaring me to death with their teenage antics or jumping out at me and doing my back in” Charity snarks in response but her face is adorned with an expression matching Vanessa’s. Vanessa rolls her eyes, shaking her head fondly and settling back against Charity before her head shoots back up again, “wait are you saying you hurt your back before when me and the boys made you jump?” she asks, her eyes slightly guilty behind the chuckle that coloured her words. “Err babe this is no laughing matter!” Charity states, drawing back out of Vanessa’s grip slightly, “I hit my back ruddy hard on the table and its real wood that! None of that cheap veneer stuff!” Charity responds, rubbing her back and pouting at Vanessa’s lack of sympathy. “Aww, I’m sorry” Vanessa coos, leaning up to kiss Charity’s cheek, unable to resist the puppy dog eyes that Charity insists Moses inherited from Vanessa, despite the impossibility of it. “We never meant to hurt you, even though it was absolutely hilarious” Vanessa smirks at the scowl Charity shoots her in response, “Oh cheer up grumpy chops” Vanessa jokes, “I love you”, Vanessa adds, “Hmm yeah I’m sure you do” Charity huffs, but the frown has melted from her face “It took them two killing me for you to say that?” Charity remarks, “one of these days you’ll get an academy award for being so dramatic” Vanessa chides rolling her eyes, but she winds her arms around Charity’s neck drawing her in for a soft kiss all the same. Charity leans back from the kiss, arms around Vanessa’s waist smiling wickedly, “well you can evaluate my performance later if you like?” Charity hints suggestively, Vanessa smiles in response “I might just take you up on that soon-to-be- Mrs Dingle”, Charity leans in for another kiss at the reminder of their engagement when a chorus of fake gags cuts through their conversation. They turn to see Johnny and Moses giggling while Sarah and Noah look vaguely disgusted, “Do you two ever take a day off?” Sarah asks,” Oi Mrs, we’ve had too many off days as it is, so forgive me for enjoying myself with my fiancée, is your homework done” Charity responds, at that Sarah raises her eyebrows and saunters off to her room. She turns back to a smirking Vanessa “Better get the munchkins up to bed, I’ll run their bath yeah?” Charity says, turning out of Vanessa’s arms and heading for the stairs but she’s held in place by Vanessa, she opens her mouth to make a joke about Vanessa saving the death grip for the cows but the words die on her tongue when she says the soft way Vanessa is gazing at her. “I am too” Vanessa whispers, “you are what babe?” Charity asks her eyebrows knitting in confusion, “I’m enjoying my days with you” Vanessa responds, “and I can’t wait for all our days” Vanessa smiles loosening her hold on Charity and turning towards the stairs. “I’ll do the bath yeah?”, Vanessa states “don’t want you getting into bed and accusing the boys of trying to drown you with the way you’ve been going on” Vanessa chuckles as she disappears up the stairs. Charity smiles after her, arms braced against the countertop “note to self” she thinks, “I really have to set a date with this woman”.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing Vanity but I've been reading it obsessively for ages lol. Hope you like it.


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